Paintings 1-3 in 100 Paintings - Yep! I'm taking the plunge!

Before:

I reworked the shadow that I thought was way too dark (top) by wetting it with clean water and wiping the color away with a paper towel.
Then I repainted the shadow in places only lighter.  I am much more satisfied with the after version (left).

I'm thinking I might just take the plunge and do this "100 Paintings" idea that others are doing.  Ann said something in a comment to my last post that made so much sense. The 100 paintings frees her and gives her a focus. I need to have focus in my work; rules, no - focus yes.  My focus lately has been going back to basics. I used to sketch from life or photos in my sketchbooks and then do finished paintings.  I've gotten away from that in the last few years with all the emphasis on making mixed media journal pages.  I've grown tired of those in terms of my own work.  I like to look at the pages of others, don't misunderstand me; it's a great art form.  It's just that I need to grow in my ability to paint finished paintings.  I feel myself slipping in that area.  That is the reason for the Charles Reid books and the need to study and practice. Not that I want to paint like Charles Reid or Robert Burridge, or anyone other than me.  I think over the years I have developed a style of my own, and I certainly don't want to lose that.  For me it's all about the bright colors!

I've been thinking a lot lately, I mean really thinking about my art. No matter what I'm doing it seems my mind is on my art - turning over and over the ideas and insights. It's like I've got this incredible energy and passion lately.  I love it when that happens :-)  I got out my old sketches and it seems that my art is sort of coming full circle...I got away from realism a little and did the "doodles" aka "heart songs", and I'm sure I won't give those up entirely. They freed me and helped me to learn to loosen up and break all the rules. They helped me see who I really am as an artist.  Now though, I'd like to refine those and create more "fine" art - finished paintings.  I'd like to go back to my still lifes and landscapes that I did in the past, incorporating the bent toward abstraction and expressionism that I've grown to love in my work and in the work of other artists.

The sketch  in the plastic sleeve protector at bottom left of the photo below is a crayon (Crayola!) sketch I did as a demonstration in a class I was teaching in 2000. I was demonstrating complementary colors in a drawing.  Today, I used the sketch as reference and painted the watercolor above it.  I like the way the pitcher in the back turned out, the bottle laying on its side was a bit of a disaster. So much so, that I washed it off and wiped it all out and started over on it.  Still it's not very good, but I like the total outcome of this painting. I like the energy and color in it.  Expressive.  That's what I'm after - not realistic, but expressive.

The flower (close-up at left) is an attempt to leave the flower fresh - I was reading Charles Reid's Painting Flowers in Watercolor.  Not overworking and trying to paint every detail, but getting the essence of the flower.  I think I accomplished this here.  It's not the most interesting composition mind you, but that wasn't really what I was after.

And now, some sketches while enjoying the bird feeder this morning.  We had a yellow chickadee visit this morning! I was so happy - he stayed long enough for me to sketch him too.  How accomodating!  I changed my bird seed to a more expensive blend that attracts songbirds.  It worked!  A cardinal came over too and he fanned his tail out like a peacock - and of course we had a squirrel and a chipmunk on the ground getting the scaps.  Wildlife of all kinds outside my window this morning! I love it.

And lastly, a contour drawing!!  My daughter took a nap this evening and I had a great opportunity to practice my continuous line drawing.  It's not exactly continuous, but it is a contour ... I plan to develop it into a painting - maybe tomorrow!  That will be painting # 4 in my 100 paintings.  Focus - I think I can do this!